Fortunately in the real world such situations never arise except at a few exceptional companies. At most companies the difference between the top and bottom dev

Fortunately in the real world such situations never arise except at a few exceptional companies. At most companies the difference between the top and bottom developers is very noticeable. Ned would have to help Jim with his work because Jim is really not qualified to be employed as a developer, but he eventually accomplishes the bare minimum by using a lot of other people's time. There are probably a couple Jims and a few more people who accomplish the bare minimum if given enough time. Then you have Bob who, every sees as some kind of hero because he works 10 hours every day and "finishes" a lot of work. Unfortunately most of Bob's work requires constant maintenance, often by Bob. Somehow this makes Bob seem like more of a hero. Most developers are aware of who on their team is more productive even if they cannot quantify it.